


Everything I Need & More

by spraycansoul



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Canon Compliant, Eric Bittle Is A Diva, Established Relationship, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, Happy Ending, Hockey, Jack Zimmermann Is A Dork, M/M, Mostly...., Music, Pining, figure skating, lots of beyonce, lots of feels, lots of fluff, zimbits - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-07-21 17:10:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7396297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spraycansoul/pseuds/spraycansoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or: Five Times Bitty Pretended to Be Beyonce, and One Time He Actually Was</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything I Need & More

**Author's Note:**

> The +1 part of this is an edited version of a little headcanon I posted on [my Tumblr](http://miserybiscuits.tumblr.com/post/146875773153/jack-zimmermann-is-jay-z), so that's a thing. Also it might help if you knew Beyonce's songs, but if you didn't (or if you just wanna listen along), [here's](https://open.spotify.com/user/earthtodenise/playlist/5S5KNniCeQEYKSs6dslAgh) a lil playlist of all the songs mentioned here! This is my first omgcp fic and I really liked writing it so I hope y'all (hihi) enjoy!

###### I. Halo

It was 4 am on a Monday, and usually, Bitty would not have been in a good mood to be awake at that hour.

That day, however, he had borrowed the keys to Faber from Jack (who had only lent him said keys because he thought Bitty wanted to warm up before checking practice) and so had the ice to himself for at least a half-hour before his captain showed up.

Once inside, Bitty ran up to the audio booth to connect his iPod and start his playlist. As music started pumping through the speakers, he made his way to the ice and did a few warm-up laps before allowing himself to move to the music. He did parts of his older routines to the corresponding songs that played in succession, and before he knew it, he’d reached the end of his playlist.

An unmistakable piano intro filled the air, and Bitty felt himself smile. He glided easily across the rink, taking his starting position at center ice. He executed the beginning of his favorite routine from years ago, still perfectly clear in his mind, as if he’d learned it yesterday. It was, after all, only his favorite song ever.

_Remember those walls I built?_  
_Well, baby, they’re tumbling down_  
_And they didn’t even put up a fight_  
_They didn’t even make a sound_

Bitty moved fluidly, stretching himself over the ice, nailing every move effortlessly. He performed the layback spin with ease during the verse, and landed the triple lutz on the first try right before the second chorus hit. His inner Beyoncé was making an appearance.

He couldn’t help the image of dark hair and striking blue eyes that entered his mind as he danced. He also couldn’t help that it oddly released all the tension in his muscles and allowed him to relax.

From the entrance of Faber, Jack watched Bitty fly on the ice in awe. He moved closer, as if pulled by gravity, to gain a better view. Bitty was killing it—it was as if he’d been performing for a full house. He felt strangely honoured to witness it. Jack found himself nodding along to the song—it was really catchy. He made a mental note to ask Bitty about it afterwards.

He also noted that the sun had just started to rise, coming up in the large glass windows, lighting up Bitty’s profile and casting shadows on the ice. It gave the impression that Bitty was glowing as he slid across the ice. _Kind of like an angel_ , Jack thought mindlessly.

_Baby, I can see your halo_  
_You know you’re my saving grace_

Jack realized he’d never seen Bitty so relaxed, so at ease as he seemed then. It was as if nervous, shy, itty Bitty who was terrified of any sort of contact on the ice had never existed. This was the real Bitty, Jack had realized, the one who could never stop baking for the life of him, the one who could talk his ear off for days, who called everyone various endearments despite the fact that he may not even know them. Bitty looked genuinely happy on the ice, his eyes mostly closed and his smile unwavering as he navigated the rink almost blindly. He looked so incredibly _at home_.

He smiled at the thought. He knew the feeling.

After a few more jumps and turns, Bitty finished with a sit spin as the music faded out. He almost jumped at the sound of clapping, and turned around to find Jack standing by their bench, the source of the applause.

“That was really good,” Jack said to Bitty as he joined him on the ice.

“I-I didn’t see you there.” Bitty felt the blood rush to his cheeks, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t because of the cold. “Thanks, Jack,” he replied sheepishly.

Jack shrugged. “You wouldn’t have anyway. Your eyes were closed almost the entire time.” He gave him a small smile and nudged him gently. “Maybe I could use a couple lessons from you, too, eh?”

Bitty inhaled sharply at the contact and he almost lost his balance. _Good lord._ “Okay, but no checking.”

Jack chuckled lightly, shaking his head. “Deal.”

###### II. Crazy In Love

Jack had ducked out of the locker room for all of five minutes to greet his parents, and he couldn’t believe what he saw—and heard—when he stepped back in.

A vaguely familiar and incredibly loud horn riff that sounded like a marching band was parading in his ears blasted through some speakers that Jack was certain had not been there before, and his teammates were…well. They were all dancing, clearly pumped up from the music.

He spotted Bitty in the corner, whipping his head back and forth and singing along loudly. To his right, Ransom and Holster jumped around, laughing. Shitty was close by, too, and he was shaking his ass in the air, to Jack’s absolute horror.

When Shitty spotted him by the doorway, he pulled Jack right into the frenzy. “Come on, my dude, there is no way you’re missing this!” he shouted over the music.

Jack slapped his hand away. “What the hell is going on—”

“GOT ME LOOKING SO CRAZY RIGHT NOW, YOUR LOVE’S GOT ME LOOKING SO CRAZY RIGHT NOW,” everyone sang-shouted as the chorus hit, and the entire locker room shook with energy.

Jack was shaking, too, but not because of the music. He was absolutely seething—this was no time for a party! They had a game to play in less than twenty minutes, and they should have been preparing!

He prepared to shout just as much, loud enough to tell them to cut the music, but as he took one last look around the locker room, he knew it would be futile. Instead, he crossed the room in quick strides and grabbed Bitty’s arm, dragging him into the trainers room.

“Good lord, Jack, let go of my arm!” Bitty tore his arm away from Jack’s hand when they got there, rubbing it where it turned red.

“What the hell have you done?” Jack shouted, and it was enough to cause Bitty to shrink back down to his size. “We’re supposed to be prepping for the game, Bittle! This is not some tacky nightclub where you can dance around to Miley Cyrus or whatever!”

Bitty’s eyes widened and his jaw went slack. If someone had walked in on them at that moment, they would have thought that Jack had slapped him. “Miley _Cyrus_?!” he demanded, waving his arms around exasperatedly. “Bless your heart, Jack, don’t be ridiculous! I can’t believe you would say such a thing! Oh my goodness, how dare you!”

Jack watched as Bitty got even more worked up than he already was; it caught him off-guard, but he recovered quickly. This was for the good of the team.

“Bittle, turn the music off. We don’t need this right now,” Jack said, not quite asking.

Bitty hesitated when heard the authority in his voice, but for once, he didn’t want to back down. “No,” he said firmly, standing his ground.

“Bittle.” Jack advanced, towering over him. “Turn. The music. Off,” he said through clenched teeth. He was so close to snapping, he could feel a vein in his temple pulse.

But Bitty snapped first. “I said no, Jack!” he said as he took a step back. “Can’t you see that it’s helping? They’re loosening up. For once, this place isn’t a nervous hot mess before a game, and maybe that’s a good thing! The coaches wouldn’t have allowed it if it wasn’t!” 

It was Jack’s turn to feel like he’d been slapped. Maybe Bitty hadn’t meant that as a direct hit, but it still stung. It was as if he was implying that the tension before games was his fault. He felt the anger drain out of him once he realized that Bitty might be right—maybe they had needed to loosen up before the game. If the coaches had known and approved of it, he had no right to stop it.

He risked a look at Bitty, who was standing off to the side, breathing heavily. He was surprised to find that Bitty had looked almost as distressed as he felt.

Jack sighed heavily, falling onto a nearby cot with his head in his hands. He felt the foam sink beside him as Bitty sat down.

“I-I’m sorry, Jack. You know I didn’t mean it like that.” Bitty ran both hands through his hair before settling them on his lap.

Beside him, Jack rubbed his temples. “No, I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that,” he said after a while. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”

Bitty craned his head to look at him. He was still a little mad at him for ruining the fun he—they—were having, but he seemed genuinely sorry. He knew Jack, knew that he only ever wanted the best for the team, that sometimes that clouded over other important things. That sometimes Jack could get anxious and didn’t know how to handle it. He decided to let it slide.

As if he could ever hold a grudge. As if he could actually keep his mind from wandering when he was sitting this close to Jack.

After a beat, Bitty breaks the silence. “It’s Beyoncé,” he said quietly.

“What?”

“Not Miley Cyrus. Beyoncé.”

Jack recognized the name. “Your queen?” he asked, vaguely remembering the rant that Bitty went on when he walked in on him showering that one time. He was still a little confused as to why it mattered.

Bitty, despite himself, breathed a laugh. “Exactly, Mr. Zimmermann. So do not blaspheme and call her Miley again, or so help me, I’m never making you another maple apple pie again. Lord knows what other horrendous names you’ll call her next...”

Jack let out a sharp exhale, a sorry excuse for a laugh, before getting up to rejoin his teammates. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror in the corner on his way back—he was flushed from the swell of anger, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes looked a little manic.

He supposed he did look a little crazy. He wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with love.

###### III. Best Thing I Never Had

“Hah. See you, Bittle,” Jack had said.

Bitty wasn’t sure he could ever handle seeing Jack again.

He felt his eyes sting as soon as he turned to leave Jack at the quad. To leave Jack and the possibility of ever having anything with him.

Frantically, Bitty pulled his earphones out of his pocket and tugged at them to untangle them. He scrambled to put them on, hands fumbling over his phone, desperate for some upbeat music that might lift his spirits.

His phone had betrayed him almost immediately when he pressed shuffle.

“ _What goes around comes back around,_ ” Beyoncé sang into his ears, and Bitty felt the first tears fall. 

As he made his way back to the Haus, he couldn’t help but feel like he was the subject of a crappy music video. He walked to the beat unconsciously, almost strutting, forcing himself to agree with the lyrics. Tears started blurring his eyes, and everything seemed to move in black-and-white slow motion. He had been under the impression that this kind of feeling only existed in rom-coms and mainstream music videos of break-up songs. He had never anticipated how real it felt. How heavy it felt. 

It felt like a break-up, even though it wasn’t really, since he knew it was one-sided. It had always been one-sided. 

_There was a time I thought that you did everything right_  
_No lies, no wrong_  
_Boy, I must’ve been out of my mind_

Bitty felt ridiculous, angry power-walking to a Beyoncé song and mouthing the lyrics, feeling every emotion spin in his head and cause his fingertips to heat up, but he supposed this was the sort of release he needed in this moment. He would take it in stride, because this was his chance—nobody was around at this time, everyone was still in the quad or just about to leave. He could Beyoncé it out and nobody would ever know.

When the chorus came around, Bitty found himself belting along wholeheartedly. The lyrics stung a little more than he’d prefer, honestly, and he laughed bitterly at the realization that this song was actually perfect for that moment. _Ha-ha, universe_ , he thought sourly. _Thanks for the reminder._

_I wanted you bad_  
_I’m so through with that_  
_’Cause honestly, you turned out to be the best thing I never had_

Bitty wanted nothing more than for that to be true—that forgetting Jack would be as easy as walking away from him in the quad. That after everything, he could keep his head up and dismiss it as just a possibility, no longer a reality. After all, he didn’t have much to hold on to, anyway; there was only their checking practice, which was probably for the team’s benefit and not his, and that time when they shared a project, and every pathetic glimmer of hope in Bitty’s heart that maybe when Jack looked at him, he saw something more. But even then, as he desperately tried to get over it, to work his way through his feelings as the song progressed, he knew that it could never be that simple.

He would have to settle for fooling himself, to fake it until he made it: that he was over Jack. Because he had to be.

Bitty sang the rest of the song shamelessly, holding his phone up to his mouth as if it were a microphone, forcing his feelings out through the music. The tears kept streaming down his face, but he felt a little better knowing that at least he had an outlet. As the music and vocals started to fade out, Bitty made his way into the Haus and up to his room, but he stopped dead at his doorway when the next song came up.

His phone (and Beyoncé, who would have thought?!) had betrayed him a second time. 

_Remember those walls I built?_  
_Well, baby, they’re tumbling down_

Bitty slid down to the floor in the most cliche moment yet, cradling his head in his hands. Who was he kidding? He couldn’t pretend that he was over Jack. He couldn’t even last a whole song without thinking about him.

He knew he should have told Jack the truth. He just didn’t want to have to face the rejection.

It was almost as if his shuffle had been made to torture him. Out of all of the songs on his phone, it had to be this one. This song that Bitty was shouting along to in the shower when Jack had suddenly ripped the curtain open. This song to which Jack had watched him skate. That Jack had asked the title of. That he could sometimes hear at night, through the thin walls of the Haus, when Jack played it on his laptop in the room across his.

This song that was a much better manifestation of Bitty’s feelings for Jack than the last one would ever be.

Minutes later, Bitty found himself in Jack’s old room, absentmindedly folding the clothes that Chowder had just begun to move in, with Halo on loop. He figured that if he couldn’t forget, he’d just drown his feelings out with words and music that actually meant something. Sure, it stung, but it was better than sitting in silence. And infinitely better than pretending that nothing was wrong.

The tears just came and came, just as Bitty’s feelings seemed to regress and regress. The song had repeated enough times that Bitty had been reduced to soft sing-sobbing, when a voice suddenly cut through the loud music pulsing in his ears and even louder thoughts in his head.

“Bittle.”

He turned around and found himself face to face with a breathless and panting—

“Jack?” Bitty whispered, unsure if he wanted this moment to be real or a dream. “ _Oh my goodness_ —why are you—is everything alright? You’re out of breath! You could have texted—”

Bitty’s rambling tapered off when his eyes met Jack’s pleading ones, blue piercing brown.

“Bitty,” he said again, softly, and then lips met lips, and if only he could, Bitty would melt.

The only things Bitty could register were that Jack’s lips were warm and soft, he smelled like Old Spice, and he could hear the faint sounds of Halo still playing out of his earphones.

And, also, that the song actually rang true for him this time: " _I’m never gonna shut you out._ "

###### IV. Flawless

At 9 pm, the Haus Halloween party of Bitty’s senior year was already in full swing, but none of his teammates, and especially not Jack, had seen him yet. 

Bitty had been pacing his bedroom for the past half-hour, trying to gather the courage to finally go downstairs in his costume. He figured it was his last year at Samwell, and this would be the perfect time to go all-out. Besides, he’d always wanted to be Beyoncé for Halloween.

That, and he really wanted to see the look on Jack’s face when he saw what he was wearing.

Bitty had set up a whole Beyonce curriculum for Jack at this point; it was inevitable and mandatory for Jack to become acquainted with Queen Bey’s discography if they were going to be boyfriends. They had marathoned all of her music videos just the weekend before, when Bitty stayed over in Providence; they did it mostly in chronological order, which Bitty had purposefully scheduled—he wanted Jack to recognize the outfit easily when Halloween rolled around.

Bitty looked at himself one last time in his mirror, scanning his outfit. He was decked out in a red and black gingham shirt, folded up to his elbows with a bunch of chunky silver necklaces hanging just underneath the collar; it was tucked into tiny faded denim cut-offs that were too short to cover much of his thighs, embellished with a black studded belt. He’d even worn fishnet stockings for good measure.

And then there were the boots, of course. Which had heels. And the long blonde wig. Which he had curled himself that morning. 

He took a deep breath and stepped back for a second. “I woke up like this, I woke up like this,” he chanted to himself as he picked up his phone to text Chowder.

 _Get the music ready and tell Jack,_ he said. _I’m coming down._

Bitty waited at the top of the stairs, patiently waiting. The party had suddenly hushed and when he heard the music cut off downstairs, he started descending.

" _Your challengers are a young group from Houston. Welcome Beyoncé, Lativia, Nina, Nicky, Kelly, and Ashley; the hip-hop rapping Girls’ TYME!_ "

Bitty went down the stairs slowly, step by step, his best bitch face plastered onto his features. A small crowd had formed around the foot of stairs—he could barely make out Dex’s red hair and Chowder’s toothy smile and thumbs-up in the distance—and he fought the urge to smile. His eyes found Jack at the foot of the stairs immediately, looking adorable in a period costume—a navy and tan uniform coat over a cream waistcoat and pants, with knee-high boots (his history geek had showed up when he’d discovered the Hamilton cast recording months ago) and he locked his gaze on him, daring himself to make bedroom eyes at him and simultaneously keep from running back up and locking himself in his room. Bitty flicked his hair over his shoulder teasingly, just for the effect, sashaying down the stairs at an agonizing pace. The crowd erupted in wild hoots and whistles.

At the foot of the stairs, Jack stared, dumbfounded and speechless. He took in the sight of his boyfriend, scantily clad and in heels, and felt the heat spread all over his body. Bitty seemed to be milking his moment, clearly loving every second of it as everyone watched in awe, and it left Jack’s head spinning and his heart pounding faster than it would after his morning run. Bitty looked so damn good. He looked amazing.

He looked flawless.

Bitty came to a full stop in front of him just as the music began to pick up, and Jack finally snapped back to reality.

“Enjoy the show?” Bitty teased, his hand resting on his hip and his confidence never wavering.

Jack didn’t have the words, so he pressed his lips to Bitty’s in answer. His hands tangled in Bitty’s wig, cupped Bitty’s flushed cheeks, fisted Bitty’s shirt, made their way down to—well. He couldn’t say he wasn’t thankful for the lack of fabric there. Bitty’s mouth opened under his, hot and wet, and Jack couldn’t help the moan that slipped out of him. He also sorta didn’t really want to.

Bitty pulled away to giggle at him, slapping his chest. “You look gorgeous, too, Mr. Zimmermann,” he teased, resting both his hands on Jack's chest.

“God damn,” was all Jack could manage between kisses. “God damn, god damn.” His smile almost broke his face. 

Bitty didn’t know what he loved more: that he had rendered Jack speechless, or that Jack had just referenced a Beyoncé song without his help.

He decided he just loved Jack.

###### V. Love On Top

Jack woke up to an empty bed, the smell of pancakes, and the faint sound of Beyoncé.

He usually did, but it still upset him a little bit anyway that he rarely woke up to Bitty in his arms, breathing quietly, their chests rising and falling in unison. 

But the pancakes were always welcome. And after two years with Bitty, Jack had gotten used to the diva’s music perpetually filling the air of his—now their—apartment in Providence. After a few more minutes lazing around on his phone in bed, Jack finally got up and made his way to the kitchen.

He took in the sight of Bitty in his boxer briefs and a Falconers shirt that was two sizes too big for him, singing and dancing along to the song blasting through the speakers as he flipped pancakes. His hips shook to the beat, his unoccupied hand waving in the air. His hair was still a golden mess, the sunlight glinting off of it, and his eyes were closed, obviously relishing the moment.

Jack felt his chest tighten in the best possible way. He couldn’t believe everything he had in that moment: a gig playing for the Falconers in the NHL, pancakes for breakfast, and a wonderful, beautiful ray of sunshine for a boyfriend. His heart swelled at the idea, and he shook his head in disbelief as he stepped closer to wrap his arms around Bitty, who was still swaying by the stove.

Bitty yelped a little at the contact, giggling, and he put the pan down and turned off the stove to face Jack. His singing never wavered, but now the words were directed at Jack himself.

“ _Now everybody asks me why I’m smiling out from ear to ear, but I know,_ ” Bitty sang, smiling widely at Jack, whose half-lidded eyes sparkled and mouth curved open in silent laughter. He slid his hands behind his neck and locked his fingers there, feeling Jack’s cold skin warm under the contact.

Jack whispered a quick “Good morning,” and briefly interrupted Bitty’s singing with a quick kiss, effectively silencing him for two seconds. Bitty broke away almost immediately to take a big gulp of breath just as the song built up for the chorus, and his next move completely caught Jack off-guard.

Bitty’s eyes were wide and locked on Jack’s, his mouth formed into a huge smile, and he started belting, never breaking eye contact, except for when they closed on the high notes. 

“ _Baby, it’s you! You’re the one I love, you’re the one I need! You’re the only one I see!_ ”

Jack felt every word land tingles on his scalp, in his fingertips, and even down in his toes. He felt so stupid-in love with Bitty in that moment, it was ridiculous, it was dizzying, and his arms around Bitty instinctively tightened their hold. 

Bitty laughed at his reaction, clearly loving that he got the desired response. He swayed them both to the rhythm, the two of them moving in sync to the music, and he didn’t stop singing.

Jack didn’t have a favorite Beyoncé song, not really. He knew most of them now, because _how couldn’t he_ , but he never thought about it enough to actually consider choosing one. He’d certainly never danced to a Beyoncé song, not even years ago, when the rest of the Samwell Mens Hockey team was doing it, though he always enjoyed watching Bitty. He was good at it, anyway.

But in that moment, he decided that maybe this one was his favorite. And that maybe it would be the first Beyoncé song he would dance to.

He let himself loosen up, heard Bittle full-on laugh, head thrown back and all, when he saw Jack’s hips move just the slightest bit and his head tilt from side to side. Jack pursed his lips, his eyes rolling up like Bitty's sometimes did, as he let the music move him.

The smile on Bitty’s face was electric, sending shivers down Jack’s spine, and it only fuelled him to keep dancing. Jack briefly let go of Bitty to move his arms around, crossing them above his head, his hands fisted, and then uncrossing them by his hips, his shoulders hunched and his legs moving to the beat.

Bitty watched in shocked delight. “ _Jack Laurent Zimmermann!_ Where on _earth_ did you learn to shmoney?!” he demanded in fake outrage, but his eyes were giving him away. 

Jack laughed, pulling Bitty back into his arms and resting his hands on the small of his back. He landed a kiss on Bitty’s cheek before giving him a smirk. “You know, you never really asked me to dance,” he said, shrugging slightly.

Bitty feigned hurt, clutching at his chest. “And you never offered!”

Jack’s smirk widened. “My body's too bootylicious for 'ya, babe," he chirped, obnoxiously winking.

Bitty felt weak in the knees, partly because of the wink, and partly also because Jack never called him babe, but mostly because of the Destiny’s Child reference. Even then, after two years, Jack still had that effect on him. He could be joking and throwing chirps at him and he would still feel like he could explode with light. He gently nipped at the skin just above the collar of Jack’s shirt, leaving soft kisses there in answer—yes, he was indeed too bootylicious. But he wasn’t about to verbalize that.

“Wrong song, dork,” he mumbles into his skin, despite his utter delight of Jack’s display of knowledge. “We’re singing this one now.”

The song had reached the part where Beyoncé repeats the chorus in a higher key every time, and at that point, they both belted out the lyrics without a single care for any of their neighbors down the hall who might hear.

_Come on, baby, it’s you_  
_You’re the one who gives your all_  
_You’re the one I can always call_  
_When I need you, make everything stop_  
_Finally, you put my love on top_

They sang it over and over and over, and meant every single word.

###### +1: Jay-Z

It hit him like a truck when he first heard it. 

Bitty was in the kitchen of their new home, baking as usual. He was trying to pull off a triple threat—cookies, brownies, and pie all the same time, just because he could with his new ovens. Yes, that’s right—ovens, plural. Jack simply wouldn’t settle for a sub-par kitchen for Bitty when they’d gone house-hunting, and this house had the largest and best-equipped one by far. Bitty had fallen in love with it immediately.

Jack was leaning on the center island beside him, telling Bitty about his lunch with his team earlier and sneaking little kisses where he can manage, when Bitty’s phone sounded on the counter.

Bitty rushed over to check what it was, and seconds later was holding his phone up in front of him, as if to take a selfie.

“Bitty!” Jack hears Ransom and Holster shout out of the phone’s speakers. 

“Hey y’all,” Bitty says, waving a little, before turning to include Jack in the frame. “Jack’s here too.” Jack realizes that this must be the start of a weekly SMH Skype call, something that Ransom and Holster had initiated when they’d graduated.

“Hey guys,” Jack offers, holding his hand up in a wave, too.

"OH," Ransom says when he sees that they’re together, a smug look on his face. "Long time no see, JZ! I was starting to get the impression that you thought you were too good for us," Ransom teases.

“Yeah,” Holster says in the frame next to Ransom’s. “No way your head hasn't gotten as big as your ass after winning the Stanley cup a goddamn _fourth time_!"

The two of them started trading chirps for Jack back and forth, and none of them noticed that Bitty had frozen in his spot and become literally incapable of movement in that moment. 

"Wait, wait, Rans—what did you just call him?" Bitty's eyes are wide, wider than usual, staring at Ransom’s figure wildly. He tried desperately to keep his breathing steady because if he didn't, he might have an aneurysm. 

On his phone, Ransom and Holster frowned. Beside him, Jack frowned, too. 

“What was that, Bits?” Holster asks.

"Um, you mean JZ?" Ransom said, scratching his head a little.

"Bits, are you okay?" Jack asked softly, tilting his chin up to make Bitty look at him. 

Bitty looked into Jack's eyes and a huge smile slowly spread on his face. "JZ!" he shrieked, practically vibrating with excitement. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe I hadn't realized before!" 

Bitty looked absolutely elated in that moment, waving his arms so much that his phone flew out of the hands. Jack caught it just in time, but he was still completely confused. When Jack checked to see if the phone was fine, he saw that the Skype call had ended. Sighing, he set the phone down on the island and turned back to Bitty, who has laughing so hard, his cheeks turned red. "What... what just happened?" Jack asked, still thoroughly bemused.

"Jack, sweetheart," Bitty said in between giggles. "You're literally Jay-Z."

Jack's frown only deepened. "Um, what?"

Bitty's smile softened, taking in Jack's confusion. "You're a such an idiot," he said, swiping a bit of flour on Jack's cheek. "Jack Zimmermann. JZ. You’re Jay-Z." 

"O...kay?" Jack said, dusting the flour off with his thumb. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

Bitty stared at him blankly. "Honestly, what am I going to do with you?" He tutted, rolling his eyes fondly at his clueless dork of a husband. Seven years together and still his knowledge of Beyoncé was lacking.

Jack crossed his arms, waiting. He still had no idea what the hell Bitty was talking about and he didn’t like being left in the dark.

Bitty sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head. "Honey, Jay-Z is Beyoncé's husband."

Bitty saw the exact moment that realization washed across Jack's features. Watched as his eyes sparkled and the corners of his mouth turned slowly upward.

"So...if I'm Jay-Z, that means..."

Jack looked so absolutely adorable in that moment, eyes wide and just as happy, Bitty couldn't resist pulling him down to steal a kiss. "That's right, baby boy," Bitty murmured, excitement bubbling under his skin again. He couldn’t believe he only then realized that not just one, but two of his dreams were real in this moment. He had Jack Zimmermann, holding him in his arms.

But he also had the revelation that had almost broken him with glee: "Essentially, that _must_ mean I'm Beyoncé.”

Jack looked down at Bitty adoringly, pushing tufts of blonde hair backwards absentmindedly. “My Queen B,” he hums, pulling Bitty into his chest. 

Bitty all but swooned into Jack’s shirt. He had everything he needed and more, right there in Jack’s arms.


End file.
